Dear Urban Diplomat: How do I respond to my neighbour who is threatening my (admittedly very loud) dog?
My husband and I received a note in our mailbox saying, “If you don’t shut your dog up, something bad is going to happen.” I suppose our dog does bark a lot—we’ve become sort of immune to it—but this seems like an overly aggressive way to let us know. We’re not sure what to do next: ignore it, call the cops, chat up the neighbours and look for signs of thuggishness. What do you recommend?
—Ruffed Up, Corso Italia
Your ’roid-ragey neighbours shouldn’t have threatened you. That’s an extreme reaction, and I suggest you call the police’s non-emergency number. An officer will come take a report and discuss next steps, which may involve canvassing a few nearby houses in an effort to identify the guilty party, who will then receive a stern reminder that bossy letters are best reserved for advice columnists, not angry neighbours. That said, allowing your dog to terrorize the block is not okay. Enrol the mutt in obedience training, and check out the ThunderShirt, a jacket that calms dogs by essentially swaddling them like a baby, and PetSafe’s bark-activated spray collar, which spritzes citronella into the offender’s furry face. Both apparently work wonders, and no, the Urban Diplomat is neither a shareholder nor a dog hater.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at [email protected]
 dog?&picture=https://torontolife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/urban-diplomat-loud-dog.jpg&description=[caption id="attachment_250857" align="alignleft" width="292"] (Image: dagnyg)[/caption]Dear Urban Diplomat,
My husband and I received a note in our mailbox saying, “If you don’t shut your dog up, something bad is going to happen.” I suppose our dog does bark a lot—we’ve become sort of immune to it—but this seems like an overly aggressive way to let us know. We’re not sure what to do next: ignore it, call the cops, chat up the neighbours and look for signs of thuggishness. What do you recommend?
—Ruffed Up, Corso Italia
Your ’roid-ragey neighbours shouldn’t have threatened you. That’s an extreme reaction, and I suggest you call the police’s non-emergency number. An officer will come take a report and discuss next steps, which may involve canvassing a few nearby houses in an effort to identify the guilty party, who will then receive a stern reminder that bossy letters are best reserved for advice columnists, not angry neighbours. That said, allowing your dog to terrorize the block is not okay. Enrol the mutt in obedience training, and check out the ThunderShirt, a jacket that calms dogs by essentially swaddling them like a baby, and PetSafe’s bark-activated spray collar, which spritzes citronella into the offender’s furry face. Both apparently work wonders, and no, the Urban Diplomat is neither a shareholder nor a dog hater.
Send your questions to the Urban Diplomat at urbandiplomat@torontolife.com){kind=link}
Dear Dog owner…take responsibility for your dog. Take him for walks to the park, let him run loose at a dog park. If you can’t do these simple things for your dog then you should not be a dog owner…period
I wouldn’t take this so much as a serious threat but rather as someone who was pushed to the brink by your barking dog. Quiet your pup using the excellent suggestions provided and I’m sure you’ll remain safe.
Obviously dog training is important for ANY dog owner. You absolutely need to set up training if you haven’t already and of course taking your dog for a walk should be as common sense as brushing your teeth. BarkBusters Training works wonders and you have membership for life. They focus more on owner training and control.
My further advice is, once you have done the training, set up a monitoring system while you are away from home to see if the training has actually worked. Basically anything that records video and audio. This is a great tool in many ways. My husband and I set up a monitoring device on both sides of our condo door that actually came in handy when it caught one special neighbor from two doors down, shouting outside our door actually provoking our dog to bark while we weren’t home. Crazy? Yes. We shared the recording with the rest of our neighbors and sent a copy to the property manager who is now dealing with this lunatic. This could also shed some light on any letters left on your door. Good luck and get on that training asap for your dogs sake!
In many local towns including Burlington and Hamilton you may be required to muzzle your dog or face a fine if he reports you. You should probably train your dog or keep him indoors until you walk him. http://cms.burlington.ca/Page6264.aspx
Your dog is not happy. Something is wrong. As caring pet owners, your first priority is to find out why your dog barks so much and address it- remember, there are no bad dogs, just bad owners. By all means, alert the police that your neighbours are making threats, as that is the opposite of okay. In the meantime, catch up on your Dog Whisperer and help out your poor pooch.